Huge difference between averaging 5 and 7 assists too. LeBron has had multiple seasons with more than 8 per game and even a season where he went above 10. He will probably also be on higher numbers there once he’s past 40 and has to preserve his energy even more. He’s only on less than 6 this year but considering the quality of players he is surrounded with I am surprised he is averaging even 6.
NBA 2022-2023
- Thread starter charlton66
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I don't agree with this criticism. that's only in the clutch moments because he's not mamba. Lebron will jack up shots in the first 3 quarters then take few in the 4th. That pass first is a false narrative.
What's even funnier is Trae averages 10 assists per game whilst Harden has averaged 10 assists the last 4 years but he and Trae are pure scorers.......Why are they not considered pass first?
It depends what your definition of greatness is, but IMLTHO i do agree that for me he's never been one of the more exciting players to watch. In some ways that's almost a compliment. With LeBron there is almost an inevitability to his game.
At the end of the day I have him 2nd all time even if I don't particularly like his overbearing personality.
sorry the 1.5 difference was the play offs. So if someone averages 8.5 versus 10 then one is pass 1st and the other isn't because thats the same difference?
One season Jordan averaged 8 and has averaged 8.5 a few times in the post season. It really depends what required of him but he can definetly give dimes.
Lebron has 2 all time top 75 players in his team who can both score 25-30 on a given night. Last year he also had Melo and Monk.
What does this even mean?
Similar to Zion. LeBron is a physical specimen then NBA has never seen. And the crazy thing, because he spends north of $1M on maintaining his body per year, he's actually grew larger in his body frame as he got older, then maintained a lot of the pure size/strength as he aged. It's wild. Shaq dominated the league for so long because he was a physical force in the key, the NBA had to adapt rules.
LeBron, based on his size, strength, agility, and obviously his footwork/skill, easily gets the opportunities and attempts at 15+ attempts per game and free throw attempts. He's been a point forward his entire career and is a very ball dominant player that needs spacing/creates his own space (due to his size and length) and spot up shooters to be effective, which is why he's also called LeGM..he knows exactly the type of player and personalities he can jive with.
AD has barely been healthy this year and Westbrook is not an easy player to assist actually.
I have convinced myself Blazers will get Durant in the off-season. I very much doubt Nets will trade him now, more than likely he will stick around to see if they can surround him with some talent for this run and make a decision in the offseason but I fully expect him to request a trade again in June.
I have previously expressed my concern with Blazers’ ‘win-now’ strategy and desire to allow Dame to win the championship as it would require us to surround him with at least one player that is better than him and there are very few of them, they also hardly ever become available. Durant is one and he also happens to be the best fit next to Lillard.
When it comes to assets we have two promising young players with strong value in Simons and Sharpe. Simons has already proven to be an exciting player and is under good deal for another three years after this season, Sharpe is on a rookie deal, has shown promise and could develop into a player you could build around. As for draft capital we can go two ways about it: if our 2023 pick conveys to Chicago, all our future picks become unencumbered. If it doesn’t, it means we will likely have a top 10 pick to trade this year and could still lift protections from the 2024 pick we would now owe to Chicago, and that would ensure we could trade all our picks from 2026 until 2030. These are also the sort of picks Nets would likely covet as with Dame and KD as our leading players with hardly any young talent you could see Portland becoming terrible from 2026 onwards (it is pretty much a given that we are going to be extremely bad).
I don’t think any team could match that offer all things considered, KD would probably feel OK playing with Dame as it would be his best shot at winning and with Dame, KD and Grant already there we could basically surround them with any serviceable shooter and center and be an instant contender.
Quote me in July. This will happen.
I have previously expressed my concern with Blazers’ ‘win-now’ strategy and desire to allow Dame to win the championship as it would require us to surround him with at least one player that is better than him and there are very few of them, they also hardly ever become available. Durant is one and he also happens to be the best fit next to Lillard.
When it comes to assets we have two promising young players with strong value in Simons and Sharpe. Simons has already proven to be an exciting player and is under good deal for another three years after this season, Sharpe is on a rookie deal, has shown promise and could develop into a player you could build around. As for draft capital we can go two ways about it: if our 2023 pick conveys to Chicago, all our future picks become unencumbered. If it doesn’t, it means we will likely have a top 10 pick to trade this year and could still lift protections from the 2024 pick we would now owe to Chicago, and that would ensure we could trade all our picks from 2026 until 2030. These are also the sort of picks Nets would likely covet as with Dame and KD as our leading players with hardly any young talent you could see Portland becoming terrible from 2026 onwards (it is pretty much a given that we are going to be extremely bad).
I don’t think any team could match that offer all things considered, KD would probably feel OK playing with Dame as it would be his best shot at winning and with Dame, KD and Grant already there we could basically surround them with any serviceable shooter and center and be an instant contender.
Quote me in July. This will happen.
Durant is on his way to Minnesota. Straight swap with KAT and D'Lo. 
Kareem's last regular season points came in April 1989. I'm guessing this claim is using the year Kareem broke the previous record but LeBron broke Kareem's mark which was (reset every time he scored thereafter) last set in April 1989, nearly 34 years ago.
Yeah it also confused me when they said this record stood since 1984 as I remembered precisely that Kareem retired in 1989 (which happened to be the year when I was born). They are counting the year in which he broke the previous record which is quite strange, as the previous record was subsequently broken multiple times by other players.
he spends 1m a year on an education he could have got for a $1.50 in late charges at the public library? Sorry, on his body?
On a side note, I am afraid Zion might never be able to have a consistent career if he does not shed a few pounds. Similarly yet at the opposite spectrum, the French wonderkid going n1 next draft seems eerily similar to Porzingis.
So the Lebron GOAT talk begins again (it's still Jordan IMO). Can someone explain to me why people by and large across sports fandom have stopped believing that the GOAT could possibly be someone who is not contemporary?
Because, Kareem aside, longevity is at it's peak and likely to go to further extreme, unless it's actually peaked and 40 to at a push mid 40's if you are Tom Brady is the plateau. People love big numbers.
I think LeBron's ego is utterly insane that he probably at least somewhat orchestrated the game to be stopped mid-game to celebrate, utterly baffling. But his ego has got him here, so fair fecks to anyone with that kind of ego too. But still, the only number that matters, he's known for a while he ain't getting, and that's the magic 7, thus the epic celebration of anything else to tell us he's the "best ever" in the post-celebratory interview. I know Kareem celebrated... but did the game actually stop for 10 minutes too?
You're right that sportspeople are generally playing at a high level for longer now. Which is exactly why longevity should not be the sole determining factor of GOATness, which it seems to have become.
I think you make valid points about Lebron, but to be fair to him, they made a big deal about Curry getting the 3 point record as well, with a similarly long interruption featuring Ray Allen
They did the same for Curry and would have done it for any other player.
The Curry thing was bizarre given it is a totally meaningless stat. Nothing wrong with the Lebron celebrations.
I don’t know when we have an out to Westbrook’s contract but only having to give up a 1st while we get D-Lo in return would be a big W imo.
Westbrook’s deal expires in June. This is an abysmal deal for Lakers. The true winners here are Jazz who will be getting a first round pick for Conley.
Curry's was no way near as long.... nor did he seem to overly care. But the NBA loves themselves for absurdist stat celebration, I mean I guess this is the prime stat. I'd be more impressed if he ends up at #2 on the assists leaderboard though, and insanely enough, it's pretty much inevitable as well at this point, since he's barely hinted at retiring and claimed a few more years the other week... but the scoring ones been inevitable for like 15 years. I wouldn't even consider retiring if I were him until I'm struggle to get 20 a night, and MJ was coasting to that after taking 3 years out 20 years ago at 40, while the league was average 20 less per game in general. What a freak! (but so's Lebron).
And a few hours later he goes to the Suns, legendary stuff.
Really surprised Nets took that deal. Bridges and four picks is not much for KD. Didn’t even trade Ayton. What a start to Ishbia’s ownership.
Now it turns out Lakers also got Beasley and Vanderbilt in that deal which makes it much, much better.
Tbh Id rather them trade Ayton tan Mikal. Cam Johnson is one of the best shooter in the league. He's a max player next seasonAnd a few hours later he goes to the Suns, legendary stuff.
Really surprised Nets took that deal. Bridges and four picks is not much for KD. Didn’t even trade Ayton. What a start to Ishbia’s ownership.
Wow, I can’t believe we’re getting KD.
Losing the twins though, I don’t know how to feel right now. I love the twins but it’s Kevin fecking Durant. Ahhhhhhhh
Losing the twins though, I don’t know how to feel right now. I love the twins but it’s Kevin fecking Durant. Ahhhhhhhh
Yeah, I thought they would at least keep 1 of them.
My only worry is that Durant (and Warren if it's true he's included) injury record. Bridges has incredible availability. I think he only misses 1 game throughout his career stretching from his HS days
Daayyuumm big trades that completely turn the West. Durant, Paul, Booker and Ayton, have to be favorites in the West now, even ahead of Nuggets. They've sold their future though and I think the Nets would be happy as well, a really good, young, core line up that they can build on with draft picks or trade for a star.
D'Angelo to Lakers is nice as well, a scorer to take the load off Lebron. Though I think Westbrook is being devalued as he was great an option from the bench.
Btw I wonder how mad the Mavs must be feeling, they went all in for Kyrie for 4 months but then could've had Durant Though I suppose it would've taken a lot more to get Durant. But maybe they would've preferred that.
D'Angelo to Lakers is nice as well, a scorer to take the load off Lebron. Though I think Westbrook is being devalued as he was great an option from the bench.
Btw I wonder how mad the Mavs must be feeling, they went all in for Kyrie for 4 months but then could've had Durant
Though I suppose it would've taken a lot more to get Durant. But maybe they would've preferred that.Cam will get a good contract, probably over $20m a year but there’s no way he’s anywhere near maximum money.
Daayyuumm big trades that completely turn the West. Durant, Paul, Booker and Ayton, have to be favorites in the West now, even ahead of Nuggets. They've sold their future though and I think the Nets would be happy as well, a really good, young, core line up that they can build on with draft picks or trade for a star.
D'Angelo to Lakers is nice as well, a scorer to take the load off Lebron. Though I think Westbrook is being devalued as he was great an option from the bench.
Btw I wonder how mad the Mavs must be feeling, they went all in for Kyrie for 4 months but then could've had Durant
They couldn’t match this deal, not with picks nor with players.
Think Phoenix got weaker but time will tell.
I like Cam, but any team that gives him a max is a fool.
He’ll get a similar contract as Mikal.
Yeah something around that maybe, or even slightly less as Bridges is better.
Surely Nets must now trade some of their 1,000 wings… no way to play all of them. Blazers just got a first round pick from Knicks for Hart so could see us rerouting that to Nets for DFS.
What kind of wing are you after? The Wolves are an other team that has too many wings.
The mythical veteran wing who will allow Dame to win the chip but will not cost more than a mediocre first round pick.
But basically anyone who can defend and play at 4.
Taurean Prince? I guess Kyle Anderson would fit the bill but he is way too good to be traded without solid return and he shouldn't be traded at all.
I wonder what the Wolves are going to do with Alexander-Walker, Prince, Forbes, Rivers and Nowell. Outside of injuries there isn't enough minutes for everyone.
Must say Pelinka did some magic to turn Westbrook’s expiring and a 2027 first into Russell, Beasley and Vanderbilt. Lakers look fairly OK now, added some playmaking, shooting and defense, finally have some depth too. They might make the playoffs.
Prince is bad but he’s also the type of move Blazers would make with the fan base convincing themselves that he will change franchise’s fortune.
Actually I wish there was a way to go for Bridges from Nets now but with absolutely zero reason to tank they will probably use him as a building block for the new team (which will actually be half decent IMO).
To be fair Russell to the Lakers was the most obvious move last summer. He developed into the player that they need and he isn't totally the player that the Wolves need, especially when you consider his contract.